Brazil meat scandal deepens as China, EU, Chile bar imports

China's Ambassador to Brazil, Li Jinzhang, left, sits next to Brazil's President Michel Temer during a steak dinner at a traditional Brazilian barbecue restaurant after a meeting on the rotten meat scandal in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Temer met with dozens of ambassadors from countries that import Brazilian meat, seeking to minimize damage from a corruption probe that alleges meatpackers bribed inspectors to keep rotten meat on the market. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

RIO DE JANEIRO – A scandal over alleged bribery by meatpackers to allow the sale of expired meat in Brazil deepened Monday as the European Union, China and Chile decided to halt some meat imports from Latin America’s largest nation.

The developments represent a major blow to Brazil, one of the world’s largest exporters of meat, which is struggling to emerge from its worst recession in decades.

The announcements came despite a flurry of meetings that Brazilian President Michel Temer held with ambassadors and numerous assurances from the government that Brazilian meats in general are safe.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, European Union spokesman Enrico Brivio said the Brazilian companies involved in alleged bribery would be temporarily barred from shipping meat to the EU.

The EU “will guarantee that any of the establishments involved in the fraud will be suspended,” said Brivio, who didn’t cite companies by name or say how long the ban would last.

A few hours later, Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said China had suspended the unloading of Brazilian meats in Chinese ports. Maggi played down that development, saying Chinese authorities were in the process of asking for more information.

“There is no Chinese embargo,” Maggi told reporters in Brasilia. “What we have are containers there that can’t leave the port to local markets.”

Chile followed suit, announcing the temporary suspension of Brazilian meats, said Angel Sartori, director of that country’s Agricultural and Livestock Service.

Investigators charge that the companies bribed health inspectors to overlook the sale of expired meats. The companies allegedly improve the appearance and smell of expired meats by using chemicals and cheaper products like water and manioc flour. Three plants have been shut down.

Temer called an emergency meeting Sunday with ambassadors of several countries. He assured them that Brazilian meats are safe and invited them to a Brazilian-style barbeque.

On Monday, Temer again sought to calm nerves, saying Brazil’s meat industry should not be judged by a single investigation.

“The agro business for us in Brazil is very important and it should not be marred by a small nucleus (of bad actors), a small thing,” he said, speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce in Sao Paulo.

Brazil was the world’s largest producer of beef and veal in 2016 and one of the top exporters, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture. The country is also a major exporter of chicken and pork products.

On Monday, sanitation officials were out in force in several cities.

Marcia Rolim, head of Rio de Janeiro’s municipal sanitary inspections, said routine investigations were being intensified in light of the investigation. Investigators collected several carts of meats for analysis. Some of the packages from at least one supermarket appeared to be rotten, with a greenish colour.

Browsing meats on Monday at a supermarket, Carla Simone Macedo said she had periodically seen products that looked to be repackaged.

Antonio Fernando, another customer, said called investigation “an exaggeration.”

“We have very good meats,” he said, adding it was good to see more inspectors.

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